Dogfish Head Theobroma

I’ve been looking forward to trying this since I first heard about it a little while ago. I wasn’t disappointed.

As Dogfish Head describes it, Theobroma (food of the gods) is “based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink….brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs, honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds).

I saw it on draft at Coles and, knowing that it’s brewed with chocolate, ordered it for dessert. When it came, it looked completely different than what I expected; a deep rust orange color that was completely transparent and a very quickly dissipating head. I was entirely thinking it would be a deep, dark brown like most chocolate-infused brews. I was more than intrigued.

It smelled floral with hint of unsweetened chocolate. When sipped, at the front of my palate it was fruity and honey sweet. Up the sides of my tongue I tasted and felt the heat from the chilies, especially as it warmed. Surprisingly for 9% ABV, the alcohol was very well hidden.

The finish was pure unsweetened chocolate for me, spiced up by the heat. Its body was, when served, medium-light but as it warmed, the tiny-bubbled carbonation thinned out, leaving it with a more medium mouthfeel.

Certainly a very interesting brew that I look forward to having again. If you’ve had it, I’d love to know what you think!